AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – A government oversight report says that Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials ordered staff to destroy documents regarding grants for health programs.
The Office of Program Evaluation & Government Accountability report presented to lawmakers Thursday says that MCDC developed some documents in response to open-records requests because “relevant documentation had not been maintained.”

The investigation came after MCDC changed the structure for distributing the health program funds. The report says that after the changes, questions arose about how MCDC was choosing which programs received what grants.

It was also prompted by a Sun Journal report last spring that said a former MCDC agency director said she was assaulted and harassed after refusing to shred public records. She filed a civil suit, which is still ongoing.